RNA 2: Element Oriented Instruction - Introduction

Summary - A
method of acquiring cumulative knowledge of a musical instrument based
on an integrated hierarchy of physical and conceptual building blocks.

Overview -Many
aspiring musicians are underwhelmed, overstimulated and discouraged by
many of the instructional mindsets available. For various reasons many
attempt to engage musical concepts and skills inappropriately with
regards to context and precedent knowledge or skill.

In
short, not only do they try to run before they can walk, some have yet
to master crawling or even to fully understand the purpose and nature
of any movement - or where they want to go in the first place. The
result is frustration, ineffective use of time, and in many cases never
achieving their potential on the instrument. There are great
instructors in the reso world that offer very insightful and effective
teaching. My goal is not to discount their technique. My aim is a
more abstract and fundamental basis for thought and action that will
enable all who subscribe to benefit even more from such great
instructors. In effect, I intend to provide an additional toolkit and
accompanying mindset for traditional instructors to use so that their
pupils absorb and integrate knowledge rapidly and in context, instead
of only retaining a fraction in usable form while the rest is either
discarded in ignorance or neutered to memorized action void of the
necessary contextual and theoretical underpinning.

Approaching
music with this mindset may be futile, but this is how it works in my
brain, and I've seen it work in a few of my students. This is as much
about guiding people to think as it is teaching them music. This is
teaching them to fish. I firmly believe that outside of the
exceptional cases of severe mental or extreme* physical disabilities,
individuals who develop critical listening skills and who adhere to a
strict hierarchy of knowledge and skills can be accomplished, fulfilled
and successful musicians. I think every individual is capable of more than they realize. With
focus and mental discipline the human mind is capable of immense
achievement.

This is a work-in-progress that will likely see many updates changes, and revisions. I'm sure there are errors and areas that need clarification. Please don't hesitate to ask questions, comment, highlight issues, offer corrections, add insight etc. My goal is for this to evolve into a thorough and comprehensive approach at learning the resophonic guitar in particular, although much of the concepts are suitible for learning any instrument. Feedback is not only welcomed but encouraged.